one is deficit is the biggest problem. here we are with the cliff, the curve, whatever you want to call it and what do we find out? even republicans are warning they don't want to go over the cliff because guess what? just cutting the deficit without any regard to the rest of our priorities is a bad idea. it happens to be the heart of republican economic policy and the other thing about never raising taxes, guess what? we don't have the gdp to seniors ratio than we did 20 years ago, so if we're going to be serious about an ageing population, it means you can't stick to these fantasies. >> i remember two years ago on the show, introducing him to the audience and explaining he's the most powerful republican in government and i had to do this long thing on who he is. and now, here he is in the center of this debate. let's listen to what the republicans are up against in the negotiations with the white house. jay carney indicated today what the president's stance is on income tax rates. >> i would say also that the president h